“We love great architecture and fabulous interior decorated rooms and on Ray + Samantha’s wedding day the reception and ceremony venues had the best of both! Ray and Samantha’s wedding reception and editorial style wedding photos took place at Chicago’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel. A luxury, high-rise hotel featuring a stunning and glamorous vibe, the Waldorf Astoria in Chicago is one-of-a-kind. The lobby features a stunning sunburst-shaped crystal chandelier overhead modeled after a brooch by Coco Chanel. The hotel’s Hemingway Salon and Sinclair Ballroom also feature breathtaking silver chandeliers lining the Parisian decorated ballrooms. Truly every room within the Waldorf is even more elegant than the last. The Sinclair Ballroom is the ballroom where Ray and Samantha’s reception proceeded. An intimate room, the ballroom is full of elegant details with mercury glass mirrored or covered in silk walls, coffered ceilings, a private outdoor terrace, and floor-to-ceiling windows offering sunlight and gorgeous Chicago city views while overlooking the Gold Coast neighborhood, Oak Street, Rush Street and Walton below. One of our favorite Chicago hotel ballrooms to celebrate and photograph within, for Ray and Samantha’s day it was decorated to perfection with tables dressed-up in lush white flowers with silver and hanging crystal accents by Natural Beauties Floral and assistance with planning and set-up by Ashley Carpenter of Oliveaire making the room look nothing but pure fabulous.

Ever since first hearing about Ray + Samantha’s plans for their June date, we have been looking forward to their Summer in Chicago wedding date to arrive. Chicago is home to one of the most famous Catholic Cathedrals in the United States. This was our second visit to the stunning cathedral and photographing a wedding ceremony at Holy Name. With each and every visit to the church and on Ray + Samantha’s day, we are always captivated by the architectural magnitude and intricate ceiling details within the Holy Name Cathedral Church. We photographed Ray + Samantha’s roman catholic ceremony under the cathedral of the historic and famous State Street Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago.

Prior to the ceremony, pictures began on the wedding day morning with the bride’s preparations + getting ready photos at the luxury boutique Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Chicago. Meanwhile the groom was preparing at a nearby private residence. Two modern chic spaces, both competing to be better decorated in rich shades of grey and both with Carrera marble accents. Ryan and Sarah separated to photograph the bride + groom with their closest while they each finalized getting dressed in a lux fashionable style. With designer bridal wedding dress fashions by Oscar de la Renta and a sleek suit by Tom Ford, Samantha + Ray envisioned each element from the fashion, to photography, to a choice of venues all an important choice for their day keeping the ultimate in luxury in mind. Unique to most of our photo mornings, Samantha requested prior to the wedding to allocate in extra time to photograph a few surprise pictures for her new husband. The surprise photos included photographs of the bride with her son in a celebrity style. Supermodel beauty, wife of Tom Brady, Gisele Bundchen had posted on Instagram a photo with positive words about breastfeeding and mothers who are #multitaskers. Samantha asked to photograph a similar glam photo to pay homage and honor celebrity Gisele agreeing that multitasking as mother and a bride is possible even awhile multiple stylists are on hand on a wedding day morning. After finishing with hair and make up, we set a side a few moments to capture boudoir lingerie bride photos of Samantha prior to getting into her wedding gown.

Ray + Samantha we enjoyed being alongside you both for the day and absolutely everything about it. We felt spoiled having such a glamorous group to photograph, and the fantastic energy + events during the reception. From traveling around the city in the trolley, to photographing editorial style photos with your great group of family of friends, thank you for choosing us and Miller + Miller Photography to be your Chicago wedding photographers. Hope to see you again soon + best wishes!” Love,

Unique additional moments from Samantha + Ray’s celebrity style Chicago wedding reception:
For the bridal party introductions each couple entered into the ballroom with props and a choreographed dance. For an extra memorable first entrance by bride + groom, they entered and used CO2 smoke for the couple’s lively introduction courtesy of DJ Sye Young of the DJ firm. DJ Sye kept the group dancing and a packed dance floor especially with another day surprise incorporating light up LED foam sticks glowing and circulating the room. Every guests was dancing with a glowing LED foamstick in their hands.